A Fashionable Solution
by Mystery of the Emblem
Summary: After Leo has yet again embarrassed himself by wearing his clothing the wrong way, Forrest comes up with an idea with the hope of making his father happy and keeping him from making that common mistake again.


**I've been starting things and not finishing them, so I've gone with a more simple, lighthearted idea. I can't believe it took me some time to realize Leo has the perfect person at hand to fix his little problem with his clothing.**

* * *

Everyone knew Prince Leo had a problem. Many ignored it or pretended it did not happen, but some people just loved to point it out. It had happened yet again at a banquet in his older brother's honor. It had been the king's birthday, and all of the Nohrian court had dressed for the occasion. Halfway through the evening, Leo had stormed from the room, his cheeks an angry red, as a few young women near him giggled.

His son, Forrest, hated to see his father's frustration and embarrassment. As someone who often sewed clothing, both for himself and for family, he wondered if he could find a solution for his father's problem.

There was the obvious, of course. Leo could pay more attention as he dressed. If he did, he would not put his clothing on inside out, and become furious when someone pointed it out to him. According to his brother, it was something Leo had never outgrown.

The fashionable young prince spent several nights after the event trying to find a solution. While absently thumbing through stacks of fabric, he came across an idea. Forrest loved to experiment with fabrics and textures, designs and ideas, but the thought that nagged at him was something he had never attempted. He started small, working late at night when he was normally abed, to see if his solution was even possible.

His efforts were not without failure.

It took over a week, and three attempts, before he was satisfied. Forrest had started with what he at first called a pocket. As he sat with his fourth prototype in his hands, he decided that, with a few ribbons and maybe a bow, it would work well as a bag. He reached into the fold of fabric, grabbed the bottom, and pulled. A little chuckle of victory escaped his lips. He wanted to finish the bag, now that he had decided it would become a bag, but the goal had been to aid his father. He put his work aside and reached for a large bolt of dark blue fabric and a pair of scissors.

Working on a project in secret had both highs and lows. Forrest was used to a regular sleep schedule, and he was missing out on his beauty rest to sew. People were starting to worry that he was ill, but he was quick to assure most of them he was just not sleeping well. The good side was that with his work a secret, his failures and mistakes were not spread around the castle. It was easy to keep a secret when only one person knew that secret, and he was good at keeping things to himself.

It would not be a surprise if everyone knew what he was doing.

His project did not take as many trials as his first attempt. He had the method under control. The time that it took was due to the size.

After many sleepless nights, and a few pricked fingers, his gift was complete. Forrest folded it carefully and put it away in a paper bag before he finally retired for the night. It felt like his head had just hit the pillow when he was roused from sleep by a maid. It took Forrest longer than usual to get ready in the morning, which is something that took quite some time anyway.

The excitement of showing his father what he had done overpowered the fatigue Forrest felt. After dressing and making sure his hair looked as lovely as usual, he grabbed the bag and hurried from his room to find his father.

It was very likely that his father would be with his uncle, as the two often worked side by side to rebuild and reshape Nohr after the war with Hoshido. He also worked with them, in a clerical position, but Forrest was not nearly as busy as the two men. He found his uncle in the throne room, attended by his retainers, Laslow and Peri.

"Good morning, Uncle Xander," Forrest called as he joined the three of them.

"Morning?" Xander asked with the faintest hint of a smile. "It is nearly midday."

Forrest turned his gaze to the floor sheepishly. "Yes, well..." he began, unsure of what to say next.

"Is everything all right, Forrest? You look exhausted."

"I haven't slept well recently," Forrest admitted. "But I'll start sleeping better tonight, I assure you. Do you know where my father is?"

Peri shook her head while Laslow said no. Xander thought for a moment, and added, "Not in the last hour or so."

"Thank you. If any of you happen to run into him, will you tell him I would like to speak to him?" When they agreed, Forrest thanked them and left to search for his father.

Forrest left the room to try to find his father. He wandered the palace, his bag clutched to his chest. _'I can always leave this in his room with a note,'_ Forrest thought, but that was not the same as handing it to his father and explaining all the work he had put into the article of clothing. He decided to at least try his father's chambers. _'Surely he cannot still be sulking about his clothing the night of Uncle Xander's birthday.'_

It would be like his father, though, to retreat and nurse his wounded pride even days later.

Just as he approached Leo's room, the door opened and Leo emerged with a book under his arm and a handful of papers. "Father?" Forrest called softly to get Leo's attention.

"Ah, Forrest, I'm rather busy at the moment - "

"Can we talk? Just for a moment? I have something for you."

Leo noticed the bag in his son's hands and tried to suppress a groan. Groaning would hurt Forrest's feelings. He was careful with how he spoke to his son, but he still made a few mistakes every now and then. "Forrest, your uncle and I have a lot to do before we leave next week," Leo said. "We could use your help," he added.

"It won't take long, Father."

Leo sighed and shook his head. "I don't want to talk, or even think, of clothing right now."

"But you should, otherwise you'd be walking around the castle naked!" Leo did not laugh or even smile. With his attempt at a joke falling flat, Forrest hung his head and asked, "Please?"

It was clear that Forrest had spent a lot of time making whatever he had made. Leo just wanted to get through the day without someone tittering behind their hand at his last accident with his clothing. Leo turned and pushed the door to his room open and gestured Forrest inside. If they were to discuss clothing, it would be privately.

Leo followed Forrest over to the desk, where they both put down what they were holding. Leo ran his thumb over the book as he tried to mask his impatience. Even Forrest's happiness at removing the completed shirt did not lighten his mood. It was a dark blue shirt, formal but not as frilly as Forrest often made clothing. To Leo, it looked no different from the other articles of clothing Leo owned that his son had made for him.

Forrest was obviously excited about it and eager to show Leo what he had done, so Leo tried his best to appear pleased as Forrest began to speak.

"I wasn't sure if I could do this," Forrest began, "so I've been working on it secretly, late at night so no one would ask what I was doing. I wanted you to be the first one to know, since I did this for you."

"Clearly," Leo said.

"I started with just a little bit of cloth in two different colors. It took some trial and error, and a few late nights, but I managed to do exactly what I set out to do!"

"And what was it you had planned to do?"

Forrest reached into the sleeve and pulled it inside out. The interior was the same material as the outside of the shirt, only it was black. There was no obvious seam. Leo stepped forward, his attention now completely on the garment. He held out his hand. Forrest, positively beaming with happiness, handed the shirt to him.

Leo turned it inside out and looked it over. The inside was smooth, with no indication that it was wrong. And there was no tag, either.

"It's reversible," Forrest said with pride.

"So it is." Leo's voice had the faintest hint of awe in it. Forrest covered his mouth with his hands to try to hide the delighted smile.

"This way, no matter how hurried you may be, you'll never have your clothing on wrong!"

Leo looked at Forrest over his son's gift. He managed to say a small, "Thank you."

"You like it?" Forrest asked.

Leo nodded and smiled at Forrest. "This is... incredible. I don't know how you thought of it, but I truly appreciate this. Do you think you could make more?"

Forrest nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! There is so much I can try with this idea, and I cannot wait to use different patterns, and - "

Leo cut his son off with a chuckle. "I don't need anything fancy," he said, knowing very well that Forrest would slip something flashy or wild into the mix of normal clothing.

Forrest did not seem to hear his father. "I'll get started right away!" He threw his arms around Leo, who hugged him back, before he bolted to the door in excitement.

"Forrest," Leo called after him. "Don't worry about staying up late to sew. Do it on your own time."

Forrest nodded, his hand on the doorknob. He smiled once more before he left Leo to work on his clothing. Leo shook his head. Forrest, thrilled that his father was happy with his gesture, would probably stay up late in the night to work on an entire wardrobe for his father. He would just have to look in on Forrest each night to make sure he was abed. Though the solution his son had come to was fantastic, Leo would not have him losing sleep over it.


End file.
